OTTAWA — Green Party Leader Annamie Paul will seek the nomination to be her party’s Toronto Centre candidate in the next federal election.
Ms. Paul’s roots in the riding are deep. She was born in Toronto Centre, and her mother and grandmother began their working lives as public servants there. Following in their footsteps, Ms. Paul is hoping she can begin service to her community as their Member of Parliament.
“I am so proud to be seeking the Green Party of Canada nomination in Toronto Centre,” said Ms. Paul. “Toronto Centre has long been considered an unbreachable Liberal fortress, but we Greens don’t run away from what’s right, even when it’s hard. I promised that I would not turn my back on our community, and I won’t. As the saying goes: ‘I stick, and I stay’.”
“Toronto Centre has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents have precarious jobs, often as essential workers. Some neighbourhoods have experienced COVID-19 infection rates triple those of neighbouring communities. Many residents in our local long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19. Opioid deaths have spiked in Toronto, and our community is among the most affected.”
Ms. Paul noted that despite these challenges, people in Toronto Centre have stepped up to support their neighbours. “There are many challenges, but residents here are generous, resilient and resourceful. As I walk through the community, I am so inspired by how much people are doing to care for their neighbours and neighbourhoods,” said Ms. Paul. “You can see it in the community gardens, the annual festivals, the food banks, and the small businesses. This community is doing all that it can for itself; it just needs a little more help.”
“Across our community, too many things are being left unsaid and undone. Toronto Centre needs a fearless champion in Ottawa; one who can say what has to be said, and do what has to be done, for residents without hesitation. As Leader of the Green Party of Canada, I can be that champion for Toronto Centre.”
Most recently, Ms. Paul ran in the October 2020 by-election, in which she made extraordinary gains, more than quadrupling the 2019 Green result, and capturing almost one-third of the vote to finish in second place.
“In the 2020 by-election an overwhelming number of Toronto Centre residents took a leap of faith by voting Green,” she said. “I asked them to ‘Be Daring’, and to vote for the positive change they wanted to see, and so many did. I am going to repay that trust, and take the leap again – if they can be daring, so can I.”
